1. OUR VALUES & PROMISES

We are committed to excellence and the positive transformation of our community and will always treat our students and families with the utmost care and respect. We will own up to our mistakes (they DO happen sometimes!) and make them right. In order to build a great community, we need you to communicate your feedback, questions, and/or concerns and we promise to respond with a problem-solving attitude. Our organizational values include artistry/creativity, authenticity, transparency, professionalism, excellence, inclusion and generosity.

2. STUDENT/FAMILY EXPECTATIONS

The opportunity to study music and to play or perform that music with others can change lives. As in most things, the more you put into it, the more you get out of it. Here’s how to get the most out of studying with us:

• Be prepared for, and attend on time (or a little early), all of your scheduled lessons, classes, rehearsals, and performances. Our lesson spots are reserved for engaged students who attend regularly, so multiple absences will result in us asking you if there is a better day or time, or we may give your day and time to a student who can attend weekly at that time.
• Commit to practicing a little bit each day, or at least 5 days/week.
• Commit to performing in the three concerts, as performance is part of learning to be a musician.
• Communicate as soon as possible if you have any problems, concerns, or scheduling conflicts.

Please note: To provide a positive and safe environment to all, we reserve the right to suspend lessons without refund at any time of students (or their parents) who act in a physically or emotionally unsafe manner to anyone in our facility.

3. COMMUNICATION

We utilize an online portal, My Music Staff, for all communications, invoices, payments, scheduling, and more. Upon registration, students and/or parents will receive login information. You can bookmark the login page at https://www.kalamazoomusicschool.com/students. Please know that email will be the final word in terms of our official school communications, so please make sure you are receiving our emails by whitelisting our email address. Please reach out anytime via email or during normal business hours via call/text to 269-350-4311.

4. TUITION & PAYMENTS

Once enrolled for the school year, tuition is paid by automatic withdrawal every subsequent month on the 25th for the following month. Prepaid tuition cannot be refunded nor can monthly tuition be prorated for any absences. We prorate tuition for students enrolling mid-month. Payment is taken at the time of scheduling and includes a $30 annual enrollment fee per family. You’ll receive an emailed receipt following all payments. If your card doesn’t go through, we’ll send you an email to let you know so you can update your card. Payments received after the 1st of the new month will be considered late and are subject to a $30 late fee. After the 3rd of the month, issues with late payment will affect your enrollment. All scheduling and payment information is always available via our “My Music Staff” student portal web-based service. All families have the ability to create usernames and passwords to view invoices, enroll in special events, and update stored payment information. You will be charged on the 25th of each month unless you submit the withdrawal form to us via email or in person by the 15th day of the month.

5. SCHEDULING

Our staff will find a mutually agreeable time between both teacher and students for weekly lessons during the school year. Our school schedule is typically near capacity, so please consider your schedule carefully before committing to a day and time, as options for rescheduling will be limited. We will start and end lessons, rehearsals and events on time. Unfortunately, if you are more than 10 minutes late for your lesson, and we haven't heard from you, we'll assume you're not coming and move on to other tasks.

6. CANCELLATIONS, MAKE UPS, AND CLOSINGS

Cancellations by Management or Faculty Instructors: We pride ourselves on having some of the best professional musicians in our region on faculty and we encourage them to perform regularly. Those experiences benefit our students directly! For this reason, our faculty may have to miss lessons from time to time. We will not cancel lessons based upon their absence, but instead select a substitute teacher from our faculty. This is a benefit of the program; students become introduced to the wider teaching faculty here, learn new approaches, and get some fresh feedback from another perspective. If a substitute is not available, the student will be issued a make up credit that can be used for any class/teacher at the Kalamazoo Music School.

Cancellations by Student/Parents: If a student must miss a lesson for any reason, contact us as soon as possible! Each student will receive an opportunity for 3 make up credits for the academic year (October through June) for absences reported with more than a 24-hour notice. For absences with less than a 24-hour notice, students will be able to receive access to a video made by their teacher and/or supplemental learning materials via our student portal or email if notified before 12pm on the day of the absence. After signing in, you can access the video under the “Online Resources” tab. Contact us if you need assistance accessing your account - we're here to help!

Inclement Weather: Cancellation of in-person classes/lessons due to unsafe weather will be up to the discretion of the Director. We will consider local school district decisions on school closure and cancellation of after school activities, but may choose differently. We cannot provide refunds based on canceled lessons due to weather conditions, but in the case of weather-related closure, virtual lessons will take place in lieu of learning in person. Cancellation notifications for in-person activities will be made via email. There are 39 lessons from September - June taking the following closings into account:

• Labor Day: Sep 5, 22
• Fall Break: Nov 22 - 27, 22
• Winter Break: Dec 23, 22 - Jan 7, 23
• Spring Break: Mar 24 - Apr 1, 23
• Memorial Day: May 29, 23
• Summer Break: Jul 4 - Jul 9, 23

Please also mark your calendar for our three big concert dates: (they’ll be professionally video recorded in lieu of the Rise Recordings next year)!

• Saturday, December 17, 2022
• Saturday, March 18, 2023
• Saturday, June 17, 2023

An 8-week summer session will follow Jul 10 - Aug 31, 2023.

7. WITHDRAWING FROM LESSONS

We’re sorry to see you go! In order to avoid paying tuition for lessons you don’t wish to take, you must submit the online withdrawal form to us (available at https://www.kalamazoomusicschool.com/students) by the 15th day of the month. We welcome and deeply appreciate your feedback about your experiences with us. Any paid tuition is non-refundable after the 25th of the month.

8. LIABILITY, PERSONAL SAFETY, AND CHILD PROTECTION

There is very little physical risk involved with playing music and we work hard to plan all of our events so that everyone is as safe as possible. For their safety, do not leave your children unattended. The Kalamazoo Music School has liability insurance covering our faculty and equipment.

In order to create a safe learning environment for all people, we are committed to the following measures:

During a private lesson, the instructor is required to teach in a room with a video camera. Parents are always welcome to stay in a waiting area within earshot of a private lesson. A parent is welcome to check in at any time without disturbing the lesson. Kalamazoo Music School also agrees with and upholds the We Have Voice Code of Conduct: http://www.wehavevoice.org/.

We do not and shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of our activities or operations. We are committed to providing an inclusive, equitable, and welcoming environment for all members of our community.

9. SOCIAL MEDIA AGREEMENT

Agreeing to this policy indicates your acceptance of our posting photos and videos of you or your child online (without names, unless you tag it yourself). If you do not want any photos online, please email owner@kalamazoomusicschool.com the names of the students with “NO SOCIAL MEDIA” in the subject line. Thank you!